How to Install NinjaTrader Indicators & Add-Ons
Import any NinjaScript add-on into NinjaTrader 8 in about two minutes — plus the fixes for the import errors that occasionally pop up.
The 60-second version
Download the .zip → Control Center → Tools → Import → NinjaScript Add-On… → select the .zip → Open → restart NinjaTrader. That’s the whole import. The detail, and what to do when it fights back, is below.
Step-by-step import
Download the add-on’s .zip file
For Affordable Indicators products, everything you own is in Members Area → NinjaScript Downloads — always the most recent version, with install instructions at the top of the page. Don’t unzip the file; NinjaTrader imports the .zip directly.
Open the import dialog
In NinjaTrader’s Control Center: Tools → Import → NinjaScript Add-On…
Select the .zip and confirm
Pick the downloaded .zip, click Open, and follow any on-screen prompts. Updating an existing tool? Same steps — the new version overwrites the old one.
Restart NinjaTrader
Changes take effect on restart. You do not need to recreate your windows, re-add tools, or reload charts after an update — your configuration is preserved.
Open your new tool
- Accounts Dashboard and the trade copier (Accounts Dashboard Suite, Duplicate Account Actions, Account Risk Manager): Control Center → New → Affordable Indicators → Accounts Dashboard. It opens as its own window and is not in a chart’s Indicators list.
- Unlimited Prop Firm Connections: Control Center → Tools → Affordable Indicators → Unlimited Prop Firm Connections.
- Chart indicators and Enhanced Chart Trader: right-click a chart → Indicators → find it in the list and add it.
- True Wick bar types: open a chart, open its Data Series window and set Type to aiTrueWick Renko, aiTrueWick Range or aiTrueWick Reversal.
- Anything else: the product’s own guide names its exact home.
Don’t see Affordable Indicators in the New or Tools menu after importing? Restart NinjaTrader once.
Updating to the latest version
Updates are the same import, repeated: download the newest .zip from Downloads, import it, restart. The Downloads page always carries the newest build of every tool you own, so re-importing from there is all it takes. (Wondering whether the platform is current? That’s separate — see how to check your NinjaTrader version.)
Troubleshooting imports
“Import failed — duplicate method names…” or the old version persists after updating
NinjaTrader sometimes reports a successful import while the old assembly is still in place. Remove the old file first, then re-import:
- Control Center → Tools → Remove NinjaScript Assembly
- Select the assembly you need to remove → Remove → Yes.
- Import the latest .zip again and restart.
Manual import — the fallback that almost always works
If an import keeps erroring, install the files by hand. Follow closely, don’t skip steps:
- Open the software zip file: double-click the downloaded .zip in File Explorer.
- Pull the files: drag the .cs and .dll files onto your desktop.
- Move them to the right folder: navigate to Documents → NinjaTrader 8 → bin → Custom and drag the files in. Updating? Choose Yes to overwrite. Make sure they’re not inside a sub-folder of Custom.
- Restart NinjaTrader. No re-import needed — the tool is already added.
- Verify: open the tool the way step 5 describes (the Accounts Dashboard from Control Center → New → Affordable Indicators; a chart indicator from a chart’s Indicators list; a True Wick bar type from a chart’s Data Series Type list).
Compile errors (orange errors in the NinjaScript Editor)
Errors like “You have custom NinjaScript files on your PC that have programming errors” mean another script on your machine is failing to compile — usually a leftover from an old add-on. Our free guide walks through finding and excluding the offender, plus fixes for CS0006 / CS0246 / CS0234: How to Resolve NinjaScript Errors.
OneDrive is interfering with the Documents folder
OneDrive redirecting your Documents folder is the single most common cause of NinjaScript weirdness on Windows. Here’s how to fix NinjaTrader + OneDrive issues.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I unzip the download before importing?
No — import the .zip exactly as downloaded. NinjaTrader reads the archive directly. (If you already unzipped it, the manual-import steps above still work.)
Will updating wipe my settings or chart windows?
No. Re-importing a newer version and restarting preserves your windows, workspaces, and configuration — you don’t need to recreate anything.
Where do NinjaScript files actually live on my PC?
In Documents → NinjaTrader 8 → bin → Custom. That’s also where the manual-import fallback places .cs and .dll files.
The import succeeded but the tool asks for a license.
Register your NinjaTrader Machine ID (not License ID) on your account — the NinjaTrader Machine ID guide takes about a minute — and make sure your account email is entered under License in the tool’s settings (on the Accounts Dashboard, the gear button).
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NinjaTrader® is a registered trademark of NinjaTrader Group, LLC. Affordable Indicators, Inc. builds add-ons for the NinjaTrader platform as part of the NinjaTrader Ecosystem and is not affiliated with or endorsed by NinjaTrader Group, LLC.